Facts About Boston Ivy & Stucco

Identification

• Native to the Far East, Boston ivy is winter hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. It blooms in springtime and produces blue-black berries in the fall, at which time its green leaves turn bright shades of scarlet and purple before falling off the plant. Boston ivy grows quickly. It readily attaches to surfaces and can add 10 feet to its height in a single growing season. Eventually it grows to a height of 50 feet with a spread between 5 and 10 feet. If conditions are right, it can be invasive, but not nearly invasive as English ivy (Hedera helix), which is hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9.

Growth Habit

• Boston ivy needs no support other than a vertical surface due to its small, adhesive rootlets. Therefore, a stucco wall provides adequate support. Conversely, you cannot keep Boston ivy from growing on a stucco wall simply because you don’t provide a trellis or some other more structured means of support; if you are growing it nearby and don’t want it to climb your stucco walls, you need to prune it aggressively.

Growing on Damaged Supports

• Sometimes you want to use ivy to cover up an unsightly part of the house or garden. If your stucco walls are damaged and you want to cover them with an ornamental vine, Boston ivy is not the best bet. Because it clings closely to the walls on which it grows, it shows every outline. It is also deciduous, meaning that for part of the year it loses its leaves and provides cover only with its stems. Instead, try something like Persian ivy (Hedera colchica), a coarse-textured, large-leafed, evergreen ivy that is winter hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. This ivy provides camouflage year-round.

Possible Damage

• Boston ivy has a twining habit. It can wind around supports, but its main mode of attachment to walls and surfaces, particularly vertical ones, is through its suckers or holdfasts. These small adhesive pads use a gluelike substance to anchor the ivy to a wall. Holdfasts are difficult to remove and can damage surfaces such as stucco. If you eventually want that wall bare again, do not let Boston ivy attach.